“I’m really sorry. But I couldn’t help it. I was in a hurry too.”
“But where on earth are you going?”
“As I said, to the East.”
Jacqueline looked clearly distraught this time. He buried his face in his hands and roughly washed his face.
“Do you know that I haven’t set foot east for seven years now?”
I didn't know. I just knew you were from the East...
No, if that's the face from seven years ago, how old were you when you ran away from the admiral's residence?
“To be honest, I had no idea. It’s been so long since I ran away from home...”
“It’s not running away from home, it’s leaving home.”
Yeah. That's what all teenage runaways say. I asked, sinking comfortably into the soft cushion.
“Then may I ask why you left?”
At that young age, he didn't add the words, but Jacqueline seemed to understand. He added, a little annoyed.
“Sixteen was the age in the old days to start a family.”
...That’s true. About three hundred years ago? It’s been seven years since you ran away, so you must be twenty-three this year. Although you look three or four years younger than that.
Anyway, judging by the fact that he changed the subject, it seemed like he didn't want to talk about the reason.
I was curious, but I didn't ask. I guess everyone has a secret they don't want to tell.
He was looking out the window, his chin resting on his hand as if he were bored with the carriage. With his auburn hair, his eyes as blue as the sea, and his freckled cheeks, he was a man who was a symbol of the East in and of himself.
Every single piece of his sculptured appearance bears the unmistakable traces of a sailor. No matter how many years he spent in the North, it was an inescapable trait that would not be easily erased.
Whenever I saw something like that, I always felt a strange feeling. In fact, I had a unique appearance for someone born in the North.
Above all, in the North, people with light hair were rare. Whether they were commoners, the daughters of noblemen, or members of the highest noble families, it was the same. Black, brown, or dark blue.
That's why when Olga called me 'Princess', people laughed at me but also nodded in agreement, and why everyone knew at a glance that I had been picked up from outside the North.
“Is it because of...?”
I was so lost in thought that I didn't hear what he said.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I was thinking about something else. What did you say?”
“I asked if you were taking me because of the competition.”
“Then why is that?”
He sighed deeply as if giving up, and ran his fingers through his hair.
“Then I will consider that Your Highness is hiring me temporarily.”
I nodded quickly.
“Yes. I wouldn’t be so shameless as to accept help for free.”
“For now, you will give me five hundred gold pieces as the advance payment. If Your Highness wins in the future, I ask that you promise to transfer two thousand gold pieces.”
It wasn't a bad deal. No, it was actually quite favorable for me.
If it was five hundred gold pieces, it could be considered as the deposit received from Laskan, and if it was also two thousand gold pieces that were to be given later, it could be taken from the reward at that time as it was assumed that I would win.
“Yes, I’ll do that. Should we write up a contract?”
“Yes, what...”
He waved his hand in an attitude that made it hard to tell whether he was a knight or a mercenary. Among ordinary knights, taking money for serving a noble lady was considered dishonorable.
In fact, Jacqueline's intentions were more of a 'do you want to do this?' threat than a real money-making one, but who cares if I have the money?
Jacqueline sighed deeply, as if giving up.
“And the last condition. I will never, ever, ever go to the Admiral’s residence in the East.”
There were three 'absolutely' words. But this is a difficult question to answer with certainty. I slowly avoided his eyes.
“I'll try.”
“That won’t do!”
“I want to tell you that you don’t have to go. But you never know what will happen in life...”
“If you wish to go, Your Highness, go alone.”
I hardened my lips.
“I’ll put forward one condition, too.”
“What is it?”
“Don’t call me kid.”
I sent a message to the Princess's palace by messenger. I will go to Cichlid in the East first, so please pack my things and send them there as soon as you receive this note.
Everyone would be extremely embarrassed, but they would understand that it was a waste of time to stop by the Princess's palace and pack their bags.
It took four full days to get to the East from here, and considering the return trip, there would only be three or four days left after arriving.
In fact, I didn't even expect to hear an answer straight from Jacqueline, so I didn't pack anything.
He didn't even bring enough provisions for the knights, drinking water, hay for the horses, or even a single change of clothing.
Eventually, we had to get off at a town in the middle of the way and buy some immediate supplies, including a card to pass the time on the carriage.
“In the trunk.”
“Yeah.”
I threw the cards away. I lost again.
“...Why are you so good at this?”
“Isn’t there a way for adults to do everything?”
“What is the adult way?”
That must be the trick of a swindler. I grumbled. After losing ten times, I didn't feel like doing it anymore.
I rested my chin on my hand. Jacqueline gathered the cards one by one. He shrugged and snickered.
“A conman? Well, that’s a bit harsh.”
“Even so, after the first five games, how can you win ten in a row? How can you do that if it’s not cheating?”
“I'm reading the pattern.”
“You’re reading that? It’s a hundred and five cards?”
“Oh, no, Your Highness is too frugal.”
“What does that mean?”
Jacqueline laid out the cards on the table, spread out so that all the suits were visible, unlike how they usually start.
He said, tapping the card with the back of his hand.
“Let’s say you start the game like this. In this case, Your Highness will first play with a low number and pattern. It’s better to lose early with a low score.”
“But.”
I crossed my arms, thinking I would go in and see where it went.
“I’ll put out the cards in order, starting with the lowest number and pattern, so it’ll be easy to guess the cards using that. The more the game goes on, the more likely it is that you’ll roll the cards this way...”
He dealt my cards and his cards in order. The first card was advantageous to me, but from then on, his cards gradually gained the upper hand.
Although he lost a few times in the middle, by the end of the match he had taken almost all of the points from the beginning.
“If that’s the case, then you can grab the points early on like this. If you just get twenty points like that and move on to the next one...”
“...In the end, it ends without making it to the second half.”
“Yes.”
He smiled broadly.
“Your Highness, you need to be a little more bold. Rather than worrying about losing what you have in your hands.”
It felt like life advice. No, but you figured that out? After playing a few cards?
“It’s a mistake that not only Your Highness, but most beginners commonly make.”
“That’s amazing.”
I answered honestly. I knew it in my head, but actually putting it into practice was a different matter. Is that what a gambler's intuition is like?
I watched him stretch, the young man more like a flexible jaguar than a human.
Jacqueline opened the window and leaned his upper body out of the carriage. The salty wind blew his red hair in a mess.
“Oh, finally Cichlid.”
It was an exclamation that sounded half like a song. Unlike the voice, the expression on his face was calm, as if he was thinking about something.
“Already?”
“It’s still the beginning. Do you see that over there?”
He stretched out his hand and pointed somewhere. White buildings on top of towers and cliffs, low blue roofs. It was a small city that looked like an intricately crafted piece of work when viewed from above.
Because it was nearing sunset, the lighthouse's light, already on, could be seen from afar.
“Will you buy me dinner?”
“I’ll buy you dinner and a horse.”
“What are you talking about?”
“We can’t keep riding together in the same carriage. We’ll need it when we return.”
Cichlid was a fairly large city even in the East, and there would be merchants who dealt in decent horses.
It had already been four days since I had tried to buy a horse from a horse dealer, but I had been forced to ride in a carriage because I only dealt with ponies, not horses of a physique suitable for knights.
Even so, the carriage ride must have been frustrating for a lively boy. He seemed to be gaining energy.
“If it’s Cichlid talk, I can trust it.”
Jacqueline answered with a whistle. I had heard that Cichlid was one of the most famous cities in the East, but as I got closer, it felt like my skin, not my head.
In every distant port, ships were lighting their lights, and long lines of merchantmen were blocking every Cichlid gate as they tried to enter.
We were squeezed in between those dirty flags and carriages.
“I need to verify your identity.”
It was almost midnight when we finally arrived at the gatekeeper.
If it were really far away, I could have stayed overnight at a shabby inn in a relatively small town, but I couldn't bear the inconvenience of having a big city right in front of me - or, to be precise, warm food and a comfortable, clean bed.
Because of that, I was almost on the verge of fainting from fatigue.
“This is the carriage of the young lady of Tulear.”
The groom sold Irina's name with my permission.
“The carriage’s emblem isn’t a fish.”
Unfortunately, the gatekeeper seemed to be a man of little flexibility. He had no intention of backing down, even as he watched the six knights lined up behind the carriage.
The gatekeeper opened his mouth to mumble an excuse.
“But where on earth are you going?”
“As I said, to the East.”
Jacqueline looked clearly distraught this time. He buried his face in his hands and roughly washed his face.
“Do you know that I haven’t set foot east for seven years now?”
I didn't know. I just knew you were from the East...
No, if that's the face from seven years ago, how old were you when you ran away from the admiral's residence?
“To be honest, I had no idea. It’s been so long since I ran away from home...”
“It’s not running away from home, it’s leaving home.”
Yeah. That's what all teenage runaways say. I asked, sinking comfortably into the soft cushion.
“Then may I ask why you left?”
At that young age, he didn't add the words, but Jacqueline seemed to understand. He added, a little annoyed.
“Sixteen was the age in the old days to start a family.”
...That’s true. About three hundred years ago? It’s been seven years since you ran away, so you must be twenty-three this year. Although you look three or four years younger than that.
Anyway, judging by the fact that he changed the subject, it seemed like he didn't want to talk about the reason.
I was curious, but I didn't ask. I guess everyone has a secret they don't want to tell.
He was looking out the window, his chin resting on his hand as if he were bored with the carriage. With his auburn hair, his eyes as blue as the sea, and his freckled cheeks, he was a man who was a symbol of the East in and of himself.
Every single piece of his sculptured appearance bears the unmistakable traces of a sailor. No matter how many years he spent in the North, it was an inescapable trait that would not be easily erased.
Whenever I saw something like that, I always felt a strange feeling. In fact, I had a unique appearance for someone born in the North.
Above all, in the North, people with light hair were rare. Whether they were commoners, the daughters of noblemen, or members of the highest noble families, it was the same. Black, brown, or dark blue.
That's why when Olga called me 'Princess', people laughed at me but also nodded in agreement, and why everyone knew at a glance that I had been picked up from outside the North.
“Is it because of...?”
I was so lost in thought that I didn't hear what he said.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I was thinking about something else. What did you say?”
“I asked if you were taking me because of the competition.”
“Then why is that?”
He sighed deeply as if giving up, and ran his fingers through his hair.
“Then I will consider that Your Highness is hiring me temporarily.”
I nodded quickly.
“Yes. I wouldn’t be so shameless as to accept help for free.”
“For now, you will give me five hundred gold pieces as the advance payment. If Your Highness wins in the future, I ask that you promise to transfer two thousand gold pieces.”
It wasn't a bad deal. No, it was actually quite favorable for me.
If it was five hundred gold pieces, it could be considered as the deposit received from Laskan, and if it was also two thousand gold pieces that were to be given later, it could be taken from the reward at that time as it was assumed that I would win.
“Yes, I’ll do that. Should we write up a contract?”
“Yes, what...”
He waved his hand in an attitude that made it hard to tell whether he was a knight or a mercenary. Among ordinary knights, taking money for serving a noble lady was considered dishonorable.
In fact, Jacqueline's intentions were more of a 'do you want to do this?' threat than a real money-making one, but who cares if I have the money?
Jacqueline sighed deeply, as if giving up.
“And the last condition. I will never, ever, ever go to the Admiral’s residence in the East.”
There were three 'absolutely' words. But this is a difficult question to answer with certainty. I slowly avoided his eyes.
“I'll try.”
“That won’t do!”
“I want to tell you that you don’t have to go. But you never know what will happen in life...”
“If you wish to go, Your Highness, go alone.”
I hardened my lips.
“I’ll put forward one condition, too.”
“What is it?”
“Don’t call me kid.”
***
I sent a message to the Princess's palace by messenger. I will go to Cichlid in the East first, so please pack my things and send them there as soon as you receive this note.
Everyone would be extremely embarrassed, but they would understand that it was a waste of time to stop by the Princess's palace and pack their bags.
It took four full days to get to the East from here, and considering the return trip, there would only be three or four days left after arriving.
In fact, I didn't even expect to hear an answer straight from Jacqueline, so I didn't pack anything.
He didn't even bring enough provisions for the knights, drinking water, hay for the horses, or even a single change of clothing.
Eventually, we had to get off at a town in the middle of the way and buy some immediate supplies, including a card to pass the time on the carriage.
“In the trunk.”
“Yeah.”
I threw the cards away. I lost again.
“...Why are you so good at this?”
“Isn’t there a way for adults to do everything?”
“What is the adult way?”
That must be the trick of a swindler. I grumbled. After losing ten times, I didn't feel like doing it anymore.
I rested my chin on my hand. Jacqueline gathered the cards one by one. He shrugged and snickered.
“A conman? Well, that’s a bit harsh.”
“Even so, after the first five games, how can you win ten in a row? How can you do that if it’s not cheating?”
“I'm reading the pattern.”
“You’re reading that? It’s a hundred and five cards?”
“Oh, no, Your Highness is too frugal.”
“What does that mean?”
Jacqueline laid out the cards on the table, spread out so that all the suits were visible, unlike how they usually start.
He said, tapping the card with the back of his hand.
“Let’s say you start the game like this. In this case, Your Highness will first play with a low number and pattern. It’s better to lose early with a low score.”
“But.”
I crossed my arms, thinking I would go in and see where it went.
“I’ll put out the cards in order, starting with the lowest number and pattern, so it’ll be easy to guess the cards using that. The more the game goes on, the more likely it is that you’ll roll the cards this way...”
He dealt my cards and his cards in order. The first card was advantageous to me, but from then on, his cards gradually gained the upper hand.
Although he lost a few times in the middle, by the end of the match he had taken almost all of the points from the beginning.
“If that’s the case, then you can grab the points early on like this. If you just get twenty points like that and move on to the next one...”
“...In the end, it ends without making it to the second half.”
“Yes.”
He smiled broadly.
“Your Highness, you need to be a little more bold. Rather than worrying about losing what you have in your hands.”
It felt like life advice. No, but you figured that out? After playing a few cards?
“It’s a mistake that not only Your Highness, but most beginners commonly make.”
“That’s amazing.”
I answered honestly. I knew it in my head, but actually putting it into practice was a different matter. Is that what a gambler's intuition is like?
I watched him stretch, the young man more like a flexible jaguar than a human.
Jacqueline opened the window and leaned his upper body out of the carriage. The salty wind blew his red hair in a mess.
“Oh, finally Cichlid.”
It was an exclamation that sounded half like a song. Unlike the voice, the expression on his face was calm, as if he was thinking about something.
“Already?”
“It’s still the beginning. Do you see that over there?”
He stretched out his hand and pointed somewhere. White buildings on top of towers and cliffs, low blue roofs. It was a small city that looked like an intricately crafted piece of work when viewed from above.
Because it was nearing sunset, the lighthouse's light, already on, could be seen from afar.
“Will you buy me dinner?”
“I’ll buy you dinner and a horse.”
“What are you talking about?”
“We can’t keep riding together in the same carriage. We’ll need it when we return.”
Cichlid was a fairly large city even in the East, and there would be merchants who dealt in decent horses.
It had already been four days since I had tried to buy a horse from a horse dealer, but I had been forced to ride in a carriage because I only dealt with ponies, not horses of a physique suitable for knights.
Even so, the carriage ride must have been frustrating for a lively boy. He seemed to be gaining energy.
“If it’s Cichlid talk, I can trust it.”
Jacqueline answered with a whistle. I had heard that Cichlid was one of the most famous cities in the East, but as I got closer, it felt like my skin, not my head.
In every distant port, ships were lighting their lights, and long lines of merchantmen were blocking every Cichlid gate as they tried to enter.
We were squeezed in between those dirty flags and carriages.
“I need to verify your identity.”
It was almost midnight when we finally arrived at the gatekeeper.
If it were really far away, I could have stayed overnight at a shabby inn in a relatively small town, but I couldn't bear the inconvenience of having a big city right in front of me - or, to be precise, warm food and a comfortable, clean bed.
Because of that, I was almost on the verge of fainting from fatigue.
“This is the carriage of the young lady of Tulear.”
The groom sold Irina's name with my permission.
“The carriage’s emblem isn’t a fish.”
Unfortunately, the gatekeeper seemed to be a man of little flexibility. He had no intention of backing down, even as he watched the six knights lined up behind the carriage.
The gatekeeper opened his mouth to mumble an excuse.
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